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About the Foundation

We aim to make Australia’s beaches safer by striving for zero preventable deaths in Australian waters.

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We strive for zero deaths on Australian beaches

The loss of any life is not acceptable, yet fatalities are still happening in Australian waters. Surf Life Saving Australia have collectively outlined and defined our mission as 'Mission Zero': working towards achieving zero preventable deaths in Australian waters.

The Surf Life Saving Foundation

The Surf Life Saving Foundation was established to ensure Surf Life Saving’s financial sustainability. We do this by engaging with the wider Australian community and initiating and managing fundraising programs aimed at maximising funds for the Surf Life Saving movement. As a charity, this community support is vital to be able to provide our lifesaving services.

These crucial funds allow our volunteers more time to focus on what they do best: saving lives in the surf. Today, the Foundation has grown into a national body with the mission to provide a sound financial base for Surf Life Saving both now and into the future.

We want to inspire all Australians to see that Surf Life Saving is a worthy cause to donate to and get involved with, and an organisation that is committed to ensuring your safety on Australian beaches.

The Surf Life Saving Effect

A Deloitte study on the social and economic value of SLSA found that for every $1 invested into Surf Life Saving Australia, more than $20 in value is returned back into the Australian Economy.
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Annual Reports

The Surf Life Saving Foundation's vision is to create safer beaches by striving for zero preventable deaths in Australian waters. We proudly present our annual reviews in the hope they will inspire all Australians to donate, volunteer and be safe in the water.
Read our annual reports

Our Board

Our Board is made up of members who have dedicated decades of their lives to Surf Life Saving. Their collective experience spans nippers, volunteer patrol and now overseeing the SLSF board.
Find out more about our Board

Work for us

If you've always dreamed of working for an organisation that makes a real difference and exists to save lives, then working for Surf Life Saving might just be for you. Get in touch to find out about current employment opportunities. 
Find out about working for SLSF

Contact Us

Interested in getting involved with fundraising, volunteering or have a question?
Get in touch

Guardians of the Surf

Your monthly donation will help train new surf lifesavers, improve the skills of our current volunteers and help us replace equipment that is constantly exposed to the harsh Australian conditions.

Become a Guardian of the Surf

Have a question for SLSF? Read our FAQs to see if we've answered it here.

The Surf Life Saving Foundation distributes funds raised through your donations to support Surf Life Saving Branches and Clubs around the country. Your donations are predominantly used by Surf Life Saving to:

- Maintain and replace lifesaving rescue equipment
- Enhance the training and development programs for volunteer surf lifesavers
- Expand community surf safety campaigns
- Fund aquatic safety research and development
- Continue to provide support services including communications networks, aerial patrols and powered watercraft
Absolutely! Every single donation you make helps us to save more lives on the beach.

Every year millions of people visit our beaches, and thousands of these visitors find themselves in urgent need of a life saving rescue. This is what we are here for, to keep your family and friends safe in the water.

Your support today will ensure that millions of adults and children who visit the beach go home safely.
Australia and its related islands have over 11,500 beaches dispersed along more than 50,000km of coastline, attracting an estimated 500+ million visits every year. Our volunteer surf lifesavers are always kept busy. We have over 180,000 volunteers from over 315 different surf clubs across Australia, and with the help of your generous donations, they make sure that Australia has some of the safest beaches in the world.

Did you know?
- It costs at least $850 to train a new volunteer to Bronze Medallion standard. Surf lifesavers are trained in First Aid, CPR and rescue techniques. Importantly, all of our lifesavers must continue to refresh and update their skills.

- Rescue gear and equipment are some of the largest costs associated with providing lifesaving services throughout Australia. A full life saving patrol can cost up to $80,000.

- Prevention is better than cure, and the best way to save lives at the beach is by teaching people how to stay out of danger. We run campaigns on how to spot rips and what to do if you are caught in one (swim parallel to the shore!).

No matter what area your donation goes towards, you can be sure that it will make a vital contribution to saving lives.
The SLSF Board continues as the Trustees of the Surf Life Saving Rescue Fund Trust. The Trust was established in 2002 to provide an additional and more assured ongoing source of funding for the movement.